With hunting season about to draw to a close it's time to start thinking about how to cook up some of the venison in the freezer. (Press-Register file photo)

MOBILE, Alabama -- If, for some reason, venison or any other wild game happens to turn up in my kitchen it is most assuredly not the result of any hunting action on my part.

It will be there because either I ran over it or, more likely, some big-hearted hunter felt compelled to bestow me with the fruits of his outdoor efforts. Luckily I have plenty of friends and family who are skilled in the art of stalking and bagging game of every sort because I am fond of venison.

It’s no secret and I’ve said it before, as a hunter I’m a pretty good cook. When I do get invited along on hunting trips it is most likely out of pity or to get me to cook while my colleagues go out into the field. It’s a good arrangement, one that I’ve become comfortable with.

And living in Alabama we are fortunate that we have an abundance of both skilled hunters and game. Don’t you love it when a plan comes together?

Deer season in Alabama is in the final stretch and that means there ought to be plenty of venison about for hunters and people like me who like to eat venison but are unskilled in the hunting arts. So it’s a good idea to be prepared when your well-meaning neighbor shows up at your back door one day with a whole venison ham.

First off, venison is not beef. It doesn’t taste like beef and you shouldn’t expect it to.

And that’s good; venison has about a third of the fat in regular beef and it is lower in calories.

But since it is lower in fat it also has a tendency to be, well, tough. Therefore it needs some special treatment to make it more palatable.

Venison is a red meat (like beef) and can be substituted for it in a number of dishes. In some cases your guests won’t know the difference.

That said, never forget that venison does have a slightly gamey taste that some folks might find off-putting, a flavor that others love. There are a few things you can do to reduce this flavor somewhat without completely altering the natural flavor of the venison.

Remember, though, that if the venison was handled properly you probably won’t have a problem.

The first thing to do is trim away as much fat as possible from the meat. Venison, as stated, is naturally lower in fat than other meats but there is some. Remove as much of it as you can.

Some people soak the meat in a mixture of vinegar and water or plain old buttermilk, but many more prefer to eat the venison as is. The only thing that I will OCCASIONALLY use is a half and half mixture of Dale’s Steak Sauce and red wine; this is great for larger cuts of meat such as hams or roasts.

Cooking with venison is easy. It is great in a number of dishes from plain to fancy. Here is a fancy one that is excellent.

Here is a great recipe from one of the best (if not biggest) cooking resources for wild game I’ve ever seen. Chef John Folse is a legendary outdoorsman and culinary genius who offers a recipe for osso buco in his book “After the Hunt” published in 2008.

Osso buco is slow-cooked lamb or beef shanks that are wonderfully rich and delicious. The long, slow cooking is perfect for venison.

In order to keep the meat from falling apart during cooking, tie each shank across center with a piece of butcher’s twine. Coat shanks well in flour, shaking off excess. Cook shanks, a few at a time, until golden brown on all sides.

Remove venison shanks from skillet, place side-by-side in a large casserole dish and set aside. To the pan drippings, add onions, celery, minced garlic and carrots. Sauté 3-5 minutes or until vegetables are wilted.

Pour off excess oil in pan then add red wine. Bring to a rolling boil then reduced by half while scraping all drippings from skillet. Blend in chicken stock, basil, thyme, tomatoes, bay leaves and parsley. Bring to a low boil then pour entire contents of skillet over shanks in casserole dish.

Cover and bake 1½ -2 hours or until fork tender, basting occasionally. When meat is tender, arrange venison shanks decoratively on a heated platter and spoon vegetable sauce from casserole dish over meat. Garnish with lemon zest and green onions. Serve hot over cooked pasta, rice of jambalaya with a top sauce.

Since, as we have established, venison is very lean it is often desirable to add some measure of fat to the recipe. And when adding fat, there is no better fat than pork fat, both for flavor and consistency.

This is an excellent recipe for slow cooker chili that I’ve had for a while.

Slow Cooker Chili

Serves 8-10

1 pound boneless venison steak, cubed

1 pound pork sausage

1 onion, diced

1 bell pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

Tabasco sauce, to taste

Salt and black pepper, to taste

1 (15.5 ounce) can Navy beans,

Drained (see note)

1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes with

green chilies

3 tablespoons chili powder, or to taste

Cheddar cheese, shredded (garnish)

Sour cream, (garnish)

Brown venison and sausage in a large skillet over medium heat until no longer pink and browned. Drain; stir in onions, bell pepper and garlic.

Cook until aromatic and vegetables are soft, about 3 minutes. Add tomato paste. Season to taste with Tabasco sauce, salt, and pepper.

Pour the drained beans and tomatoes into a slow cooker. Stir in the venison mixture. Cover, and cook 8 to 10 hours on low or 5 hours on high.

Garnish with cheese and sour cream before serving.

Note: You can substitute any beans you may have on hand; light kidney beans, dark kidney beans, even black beans will work.’